JPH10295341A - Production of milk beverage and fruit juice beverage of good flavor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a milk beverage or juice beverage that has taste and flavor like those of raw beverage despite of being heat-treated, by lowering the oxygen dissolved in these liquids before heat treatment of milk or the like. SOLUTION: Milk, heat-untreated beverage containing milk, juice or juice beverage are lowered in its oxygen dissolved in these beverage to be lower than preferably <10 ppm, more preferably <8 ppm, particularly preferably <5 ppm, and preferably, the atmosphere is replaced with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, and then the oxygen-reduced beverage is heat-treated to prepare the objective beverage having similar taste and flavor to raw milk, unheated beverage or raw juice.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the production of a flavorful beverage, and by reducing the dissolved oxygen in the beverage, a beverage having a near-fresh flavor despite heat treatment. In particular, it relates to the production of dairy beverages and fruit juice beverages.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Milk, fruit juice, and drinks based on these are fresh and freshly squeezed and have excellent flavor and high consumer preference, but are unavoidable in terms of storage stability and hygiene. After heat sterilization, it must be marketed.

[0003] On the other hand, with respect to oxygen, some beverages such as coffee have conventionally been subjected to deoxidation treatment, but the treatment is mainly degassing or filling nitrogen gas into the head space of a container. . Further, regarding milk and milk drinks, there is a report that there is no problem of oxidation odor at the time of sterilization because a part of amino acids generate SH groups by heat treatment to drive off oxygen. Has clearly confirmed an unpleasant flavor close to an oxidized smell, and this point has been proved from the test examples described later.

[0004] In view of the above situation, a deaerator may be installed in an actual process to remove the influence of oxygen. However, the deaeration also removes the aroma components of milk and milky drinks. Therefore, the desired flavor cannot be obtained.

Similarly, in the case of fruit juice or fruit juice, particularly natural fruit juice (100% fruit juice), limonene and the like are changed by the heat treatment, resulting in deterioration of flavor. In order to prevent this, deaeration is also performed in the fruit juice industry in the same manner as described above. However, flavor components and preferred flavors are removed at the same time, and the flavor cannot be improved.

As described above, conventionally, in milky drinks and fruit juice drinks, only oxygen is removed by a deaerator together with an aroma component and a preferable flavor. There is no recognition of dissolved oxygen. Furthermore, in the present invention, there is no report on improving the flavor by reducing the dissolved oxygen in the liquid in the production process of the beverage to be subjected to the heat treatment.

[0007]

As described above, at present, no consideration is given to dissolved oxygen in milk and milky drinks. However, the effect of oxygen is partially recognized, but in order to reduce the effect, degassing is performed exclusively. However, degassing does not lead to an improvement in flavor, such as removal of flavor by degassing. As a result, a burnt odor during sterilization remains, which appears as a large flavor difference from raw milk,
The flavor is completely opposite to the natural flavor.

[0008] The heated odor is also found in fruit juice beverages, and appears particularly as a potato odor peculiar to orange juice. The present invention eliminates these disadvantages in these beverages,
It is an object of the present invention to produce a sample having an excellent flavor, particularly a flavor close to that of a raw.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of various studies to achieve the above object, we focused on the fact that milk is easily changed by oxygen and heat especially in foods, and that milk appears as a change in flavor. As a result of the investigation, a useful finding was obtained that the heat treatment in the presence of oxygen is one of the causes. Thus, the present inventors have reduced the dissolved oxygen in the liquid for raw milk or a beverage partially using raw milk before the heat treatment, and unexpectedly obtained a flavor close to that before heating. For the first time, it has been found that beverages having a more natural flavor adapted to the needs of consumers can be produced without causing bacterial problems.

[0010] In addition, in a fruit juice or a fruit drink, the easily oxidizable components such as limonene contained therein deteriorate in flavor due to the heat treatment. It was also discovered for the first time that a flavor similar to that obtained was obtained. Thus, the present inventors have discovered for the first time that dissolved oxygen in a beverage liquid significantly impairs the flavor, and that the presence of dissolved oxygen during heating in particular greatly affects the flavor.

That is, according to the present invention, the heating (sterilization) is carried out by reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the liquid before the heat treatment.
The present invention relates to the production of beverages having an excellent flavor very similar to the raw flavor before the heat treatment, especially milky beverages and fruit juice beverages. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to carry out the present invention, dissolved oxygen in a liquid must be reduced or removed. For example, an inert gas such as a nitrogen gas or an argon gas is added to the liquid. What is necessary is just to sterilize in the state which blows in and replaces the dissolved oxygen in the liquid, and saturates an inert gas such as nitrogen gas. Injection of an inert gas (hereinafter, the present invention is described using nitrogen gas as a representative example) can be performed in a tank and / or in a line.
It is preferable to perform the substitution at 0 to 85 ° C or lower. In addition to the above, all known methods for removing dissolved oxygen are applicable in the present invention.

Among the inert gases, nitrogen is present in large amounts in the air, is relatively inexpensive, and has not been confirmed to be safe, and at the same time does not affect the flavor quality of beverages. Suitable as an active gas.

Most preferably, the dissolved oxygen is completely removed from the liquid. However, as will be apparent from the following test examples and examples described below, the dissolved oxygen in the liquid is less than 10 ppm.
It was also found that a beverage with a sufficiently good flavor is preferably obtained when the content is less than 8 ppm, and that the intended purpose can be sufficiently achieved when the content is particularly 5 ppm or less. Hereinafter, test examples will be described.

[0015]

Test Example 1: Nitrogen gas replacement sterilization test of milk Milk (3.8% fat, 8.6% non-fat solids) was bubbled with nitrogen gas to reduce dissolved oxygen, respectively.
A sterilization treatment was performed at 130 ° C. for 2 seconds using a sterilizer.
Each of the obtained samples was subjected to a sensory evaluation by a specialized panel (30 persons), and an odor component was analyzed by a headspace analysis method. The results obtained are shown in Table 1 below.

[0016]

[Table 1]

As is apparent from the above results, there is a correlation between the amount of dimethyl disulfide generated as a representative of the heated odor and the sensory evaluation. The smaller the amount of dimethyl disulfide generated, the closer to the unheated one. understood. Further, by replacing the dissolved oxygen with nitrogen gas to less than 8 ppm, a good flavor was obtained. In particular, by replacing the dissolved oxygen with nitrogen gas to 5 ppm or less, almost the same effect as the unheated product was obtained. .

[0018]

[Test Example 2: Nitrogen gas replacement sterilization test of orange juice] 1
Dissolved oxygen was reduced by bubbling 00% orange juice (concentrated and reduced, Brazil) with nitrogen gas, and then sterilized at 120 ° C. for 3 seconds using a sterilizer. Each of the obtained samples was subjected to a sensory evaluation by a specialized panel (30 persons), and dimethyl disulfide, which is a representative of the heated odor, was analyzed by a headspace analysis method. The results obtained are shown in Table 2 below.

[0019]

[Table 2]

As is evident from the above results, a good flavor can be obtained by reducing the dissolved oxygen in the liquid to less than 10 ppm by replacing with nitrogen gas. In particular, those in which the dissolved oxygen has been reduced to 5 ppm or less are unheated products. And the flavor was very similar to that of the heated product. After storing this product at room temperature,
Deterioration was less than that of the normally heated product, and the quality could be maintained for as long as two months.

[0021] Removing all dissolved oxygen from the solution imposes a heavy burden in terms of cost, processing time, and the like. However, in the present invention, as apparent from the above-mentioned test examples and examples described later, 10 ppm is required. If the amount of dissolved oxygen is removed from the solution to an extent of less than 8 ppm, preferably less than 8 ppm, the intended purpose is achieved, so that the cost and the processing time can be reduced and shortened. It is a target.

In the present invention, milk of cows, horses, goats, sheep, buffaloes, humans and other mammals is all used as milk. Milk beverages include all beverages obtained by treating the above-mentioned unheated liquid containing milk, and sweeteners, sour agents, thickeners, fruit juices, flavorings and the like are used as raw materials in milk. And fermented milk can also be used as a raw material.

In the present invention, the juice refers to all of the liquid obtained by squeezing the fruit, and those mixed with small pieces of the fruit or squeezed cake. And fruit juice-containing beverages prepared using sweeteners, sweeteners, acidulants, thickeners, milk, dairy products, flavors and the like.

Fruit juices include citrus fruits, apples, grapes,
Drinkable juices from strawberries, pineapples, bananas, peaches, tomatoes, melons, kiwis and other fruits can all be used. Examples of citrus fruits include orange, grapefruit, Unshu mandarin orange, (sweet) summer mandarin orange, navel,
Lemon, lime, Daidai, Ponkan and others. Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described.

[0025]

Example 1 3 L of raw milk was placed in a 5 L stainless steel tank, nitrogen gas was sealed in the tank, the dissolved oxygen amount was measured using a dissolved oxygen meter, and a fixed concentration was reached. With vial bin (200ml capacity)
, And the head space was sealed with a cap while filling the head space with nitrogen gas. The mixture was heated in an autoclave (110 ° C, 1 minute), and then cooled to 10 ° C.

At the same time, 100 milk was used as a control.
Samples placed in ml vials were also processed under the same heating conditions. After cooling, a special panel (4
0), the difference in flavor was investigated, and as a result of majority decision, the results in Table 3 below were obtained.

[0027]

[Table 3]

As is apparent from the above results, a difference from the control was observed at less than 8 ppm, particularly at 5 ppm or less.
The heating odor present in the control was not felt.

[0029]

Example 2 Orange juice (Brix 11.5, acidity 0.7) in a 5 L stainless steel tank 3
L, nitrogen gas is sealed therein, the dissolved oxygen content is measured using a dissolved oxygen meter, and a certain concentration is reached.
), And sealed with a cap while filling the head space with nitrogen gas.
And then cooled to 10 ° C.

At the same time, as a control, orange juice was directly sterilized and cooled under the same conditions as above. After cooling,
Using a control as a control, the difference in flavor was investigated using a specialized panel (40 persons), and as a result of majority decision, the results in Table 4 below were obtained.

[0031]

[Table 4]

As is apparent from the above results, a difference from the control was observed at less than 8 ppm, particularly at 5 ppm or less.
No heating odor present in the control was felt.

[0033]

Example 3 30 kg of raw milk was put into a tank, a hole was made in the end of a stainless steel short tube, and nitrogen gas was sealed from there.
When the dissolved oxygen was measured by a dissolved oxygen meter and reached 1 ppm, the solution was sent to a sterilizer. The holding tank located in the middle of the sterilizer was also filled with nitrogen gas and sterilized at 130 ° C. for 2 seconds while avoiding contact with air.

At the same time, as a control, the same raw milk was pasteurized as usual (130 ° C., 2 seconds) and used as a control. The two samples obtained were examined for differences in flavor using a specialized panel (40 persons), and the results in Table 5 below were obtained.

[0035]

[Table 5]

As is clear from the above results, the flavor was significantly different, and it was evaluated that the aroma and aftertaste were particularly similar to raw milk. In addition, it was significantly preferred by 5%.

[0037]

Example 4 Two types of samples (control, nitrogen-substituted milk) produced in Example 3 were stored at 10 ° C. for 6 days, and the change in flavor was examined to obtain the results shown in Table 6 below.

[0038]

[Table 6]

As is evident from the above results, the nitrogen-substituted milk showed little change in flavor over time and maintained a good flavor.

[0040]

Example 5 100% grapefruit juice (concentrated and reduced) was dissolved in oxygen by bubbling with nitrogen gas, and then sterilized at 120 ° C. for 3 seconds using a sterilizer. Each of the obtained products was subjected to a sensory evaluation by a specialized panel (30 persons), and the results in Table 7 below were obtained.

[0041]

[Table 7]

As is apparent from the above results, the substitution of nitrogen gas suppressed the bitterness peculiar to grapefruit juice and made it easy to drink, and a good flavor immediately after squeezing could be obtained.

[0043]

【The invention's effect】

(1) Even if it is heated by substituting with nitrogen, a heated odor and an oxidized odor are small, and a flavor close to fresh milk and a fresh juice flavor can be obtained. (2) The degree of nitrogen substitution is less than 10 ppm, preferably less than 8 ppm, and particularly 5 ppm or less in terms of dissolved oxygen. (3) Sterilized after nitrogen replacement, the change in flavor during storage is small, and it is particularly good for products such as long life.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yasufumi Kubota 1-21-3 Sakaemachi, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo Meiji Dairies Co., Ltd. Inside the Central Research Laboratories (72) Inventor Toshitomo Hirata 1-2-1-3 Sakaemachi, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo Meiji Dairies Corporation Inside the Central Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Tadashi Nakatsubo 1-21-3 Sakaemachi, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo Meiji Dairies Co., Ltd. Inside the Central Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Naoyoshi Mishiro 1-2-1-3, Sakaemachi, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo Meiji Dairies Co., Ltd. Central Research Laboratory

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A flavor similar to raw milk or an unheated liquid, characterized in that milk or an unheated liquid containing milk is heat-treated in a state where dissolved oxygen in the liquid is reduced before the heat treatment. A method for producing a beverage having: 2. A method for producing a beverage having a flavor similar to that of raw juice, wherein the juice or the juice beverage is heat-treated in a state where the dissolved oxygen in the liquid is reduced before the heat treatment. . 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dissolved oxygen in the liquid is less than 10 ppm, preferably less than 8 ppm, more preferably 5 ppm or less. 4. Substituting with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas and heat sterilizing to reduce dissolved oxygen in the liquid;
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. A savory beverage produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.